New Jersey’s unemployment rate dips in February

It may not be much, but New Jersey’s jobless rate dropped slightly. This marks two months in a row that the percentage of people out of a job continued to decline.
State labor officials say the unemployment rate in the Garden State in February dropped to 9.8 percent. That’s a tenth of a point lower than January but still slightly higher than the national average.

It may not be much, but New Jersey’s jobless rate dropped slightly. This marks two months in a row that the percentage of people out of a job continued to decline.

State labor officials say the unemployment rate in the Garden State in February dropped to 9.8 percent. That’s a tenth of a point lower than January but still slightly higher than the national average.

3700 jobs were added in the private sector, the first gain in two years.
The most employment additions were in financial activities, professional and business services, and education and health.

There was no change in the number of government jobs. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been critical of recent increases in the public sector at a time when many people in the private sector have lost their jobs. A spokesman for the Governor says while news of the overall employment increase is mildly reassuring, there’s more work to do and reforms to pass to pave the way for continued job growth.